A seminary classmate of mine and fellow vocations director shared with me recently, “When we pray for more vocations to the priesthood, what we are really praying for is more men to say ‘yes’ to that vocation.”
That’s because God is still calling plenty of men. It’s just that young men aren’t hearing Him.
I am praying that in November, through the “Called by Name” program, hundreds of names of young men of faith, leadership and service will come into the Office of Vocations. “Called by Name” asks every parishioner to prayerfully consider young men, high school-aged through 39, who they think have the qualities of a good priest. On the weekend of Nov. 1-2, you’ll find “Called by Name” cards in the church pews. Write down the name of a young man you think could make a good priest. Return the card to the collection basket.
What’s going to happen to those names once we receive them? Will all those men eventually be seminarians? Priests?
The reality is that God is calling all of them: some to be priests, others to married life, still others to religious orders. It is not the job of the Vocations Office to convince them to be priests. We will never pressure someone to be a priest! Rather, it is our job to introduce them to Jesus and to let Jesus do the rest.
We introduce them to Jesus by providing guidance, formation and community.
We provide guidance. Discernment can feel overwhelming, especially for a young man who senses that God might be calling him but isn’t sure to what. Our vocations directors meet one-on-one and in discernment groups with men who are discerning, helping them make space for prayer and clarity in their lives. We don’t give them answers, but we help them to ask better questions. Through conversations and accompaniment, we guide them toward a deeper relationship with Christ, so that they can begin to hear His voice for themselves.
We provide formation. The Office of Vocations offers opportunities for growth in human and spiritual formation. These include retreats, discernment groups, and days of reflection that teach not only about the priesthood, but also about the spiritual life. How to pray, how to listen to God, how to make decisions rooted in prayer and trust in God. Formation means helping young men learn to recognize God’s voice amid all the noise competing for their attention. Even if a man ultimately hears God calling him to a vocation besides the priesthood, he will grow in his understanding of how God works in his life.
We provide community. When I was discerning the priesthood in high school, I didn’t know a single other guy thinking about it. What a relief it was when I finally entered seminary and realized there were other men my age asking the same questions! One of the greatest gifts we can offer those discerning is the experience of coming together with brothers to pray, share, and see that they are not alone. Some will become priests, some will not, but community is essential for hearing God’s call.
On the weekend of Nov. 1-2 and throughout the coming days, we will celebrate National Vocation Awareness Week, Nov. 2-8. We will pray for vocations and submit names through the “Called by Name” initiative. Hopefully, these efforts and the follow-up guidance, formation and community provided by the Office of Vocations will lead to an increase in the number of seminarians and, in time, new priests for our Diocese.
But most importantly, I pray that through these initiatives, young men will come to know Jesus and learn to listen to His voice, so that, whatever He asks, they will have the faith and courage to say “yes”!
For more information about “Called by Name,” visit camdenpriest.org/CBN, and read Father Nevitt’s previous column on the initiative.
Father Joshua Nevitt is an associate director of vocations for the Diocese of Camden and parochial vicar at Holy Angels Parish in Woodbury.
More Online
On the Oct. 27 episode of Talking Catholic, Father Tom Piro and Father Stephen Robbins talk more about “Called By Name.” Listen to it here.
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